International Marketing Management, MSc

About International Marketing Management, MSc - at Heriot-Watt University

Heriot Watt University's MSc in International Marketing will provide you with essential marketing knowledge and an excellent platform from which to pursue a rewarding career in marketing.

Accredited by the industry-recognised Chartered Institute of Marketing, this Programme offers comprehensive learning across key areas of international marketing. This Masters degree focuses your existing awareness of marketing processes to prepare you for the challenges of today's global marketing environment. 

The core content will enable you to learn how to develop strategy, grow new business, formulate brand communications, research complex business issues and satisfy consumer demands. The core courses include:

• Contemporary Consumers - examines the motivations and perspectives of consumers in different international locations.
• Strategic Marketing - identifies choices in marketing strategies for local and international brands, focusing on operating a global business.
• Marketing Logistics - explains how to gain competitive advantage in the international market place by ensuring that the right products reach the right people at the right time.
• Branding and Communications - considers the power of brands and helps you to master the key principles of brand management by learning how integrated marketing communications creates a valuable brand with strong, effective messaging.
• Research Philosophy and Practice - provides training in a range of research skills that prepares you for the dissertation project and also provides the foundation for roles in market insight and business consultancy.

Programme flexibility and specialist courses

In addition to five core courses, this Programme offers a distinctive level of flexibility. You will have the opportunity to choose up to three specialist courses from a range of options including Digital Marketing, Consumer Psychology, Sustainability, and Tourism Management. This enables you to customise your studies to meet the needs of your future career ambitions. 

Over the summer months the master's dissertation enables you to deepen your knowledge in a topic of your choosing by gathering and analysing data from companies or consumers within an international marketing setting which directly relates to your ambitions.

Previous students on our International Marketing Masters degree have conducted dissertations on topics including:

• The impact of reviews and ratings on purchase amongst French and UK Airbnb customers
• Perceptions of international marketers of the effectiveness of Twitter Chat for branding
• Beats by Dr Dre - The Impact of Product Placement in Music Videos
• Social Media in Heritage and Gastronomy in Burgos
• International differences in online advertising trust: UK and China

​Management competencies and skills for the workplace

Through case-study learning, interaction with industry and industry-focused assessments our MSc International Marketing will enhance your skillset across key management competencies that are highly valued in the workplace. 

Group-based and individual coursework will challenge you to translate theory into commercial marketing solutions and demonstrate skills in time management, team leadership, information management and verbal, written and digital communications.

Our innovative approach to assessment ensures that you will develop skills that are critical to everyday practice for modern marketing professionals. This year's MSc students gained experience in:

• Producing a Vlog to communicate key messages in an authentic way
• Developing a plan for an online business
• Designing and filming a brand advertisement
• Developing a product and branding strategy from concept to pitch.

The sought-after transferrable skills you gain through this programme will underpin your marketing expertise and position you as an attractive candidate for employers. Our recent graduates have gone on to launch international marketing careers working for prestigious brands, including:

• AIG: Digital Marketing Executive
• Brain Lab: Junior Marketing Manager for Europe
• Capri Sun: Junior Brand Manager
• Clinical Trial Company: Marketing Assistant
• eDreams: International sales executive
• GAP: Marketing Associate
• Lorenz Snack-World Germany: Trainee Marketing Manager
• Russell & Bromley: Online editor
• Starcom: Brand Activation Senior Executive

Interact with business leaders

Heriot-Watt's MSc in International Marketing benefits from strong links with industry and each year we welcome leading marketing practitioners to share experiences and insights with our students through inspirational and informative guest lectures.

These guest lectures will give you the opportunity to interact with business experts and discuss practical solutions to real problems whilst receiving guidance about careers in international marketing.  Recent guest speakers have represented a range of multinational companies and leading advertising agencies, including:

• Baxters Food Group - Cara Chambers, Director of Marketing
• Clydesdale Bank - David Judic, Director of Innovation
• EIGSI La Rochelle France - Philip Harvard, Head of Management
• Findra, Cycling Clothing Brand - Alex Feechan, Founder
• Skyscanner - Murat Ozkok-Ohr, Growth and Communications Manager
• The Leith Agency - Caitlin MacKie, Strategic Planner
• Yard Digital Agency - Geoff Kennedy, Account Director
• Yellow Railroad International Destination Consultancy - Tom Buncle, Managing Director

International internship opportunity

Each year the International Marketing Programme provides one outstanding student with the amazing opportunity to participate in a four-week international internship based at the Toronto HQ and New York offices of Array Marketing, a leading in-store marketing company with operations in Canada, USA, UK, and China. 

Array Marketing has over 35 years of experience in the retail sector, producing innovative visual merchandising and point-of-purchase displays for leading brands such as L'Oréal, Urban Decay, MAC, Sephora, ULTA, Estee Lauder and Prada. 

If selected for this international internship you will gain experience across Array Marketing's key operational areas including project management, technical development, merchandising, store fittings, and commercial operations. 

2016's successful candidate was offered a permanent role with Array Marketing after presenting innovative business development ideas based on their dissertation research. 

Diverse learning experience: a wealth of business and cultural perspectives

Studying on this programme will allow you to work alongside highly-motivated students from all over the world who have chosen to progress their marketing knowledge at Heriot-Watt School of Social Sciences. This will allow you to develop first-hand experience of working in international teams and provide you with crucial insights into a diverse range of markets and consumer perspectives.

By sharing courses with students from other management disciplines you will also learn to work alongside those with different business perspectives. This provides you with true-to-life insights into the multi-functional nature of international marketing and business.

Our thriving calendar of social events and relaxed, campus-based location will also help you to balance your academic experiences with a rewarding social life, giving you lots of opportunities to develop an international network of friends and contacts from our friendly, global community.

Programme duration

Mode of StudyMScPG Diploma Full-time 12 months 9 months Part-time 24 months 21 months

Accreditation

This Programme is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) indicating that our teaching and assessment meet the rigorous standards of the CIM in terms of content, scope and learning outcomes.

As a result of this accreditation, all graduates from International Marketing MSc gain exemption from two CIM modules: the Certificate Level Marketing module and the CIM Diploma Level Strategic Marketing module. This exemption is provided at no extra charge and reduces the cost of pursuing this prestigious professional qualification by up to £400.  Students are also given the opportunity to attend CIM networking events which take place on campus and in Edinburgh and Glasgow. 

Notes about fees for this course

Status*Full-timePart-timePer courseScotland / Non-UK EU£8,200 £4,100 £1,025England / Northern Ireland / Wales£8,200 £4,100 £1,025Overseas£16,200 £8,100 £2,025

* If you are unsure which category you fall in to, you should complete a fee status enquiry form, which allows us to assess your fees.

** Fee per course

Scholarships and bursaries

We aim to encourage well-qualified, ambitious students to study with us and we offer a wide variety of scholarships and bursaries to achieve this. Over £6 million worth of opportunities are available in fee and stipend scholarships, and more than 400 students benefit from this support.

View our full range of postgraduate taught scholarships.

Entry requirements

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